The Blood of Hussain (1980) poster
1980 · drama · political · allegory

The Blood of Hussain

Directed by Jamil Dehlavi1h 52m1980
ElsewhereIMDb6.9165TMDB6.79
  • heavy
  • intense
Movie DNA

Heavy, steady, measured drama / political, inventive in texture. Nihilistic, mid-stakes, measured, hand-scored across twelve axes of taste.

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A dramatic depiction of the life of Hussain, with allegorical references to the history of the Prophet Muhammad and his descendants. It is prophesied that Young Hussain will one day lead the impoverished masses to a better life. It is his brother, Hasan, however who gains in prominence and when the government is overthrown in a military coup, he tries to adapt. Hussain in the meanwhile gets married and leads a small band of rebels in an attempt to fight the military dictatorship.

Our read · The Blood of Hussain (1980) reads as a heavy, steady, inventive drama · political · allegory entry — measured in intensity, mid-stakes in scope, measured in temperature, nihilistic in outlook. Hand-scored on twelve axes of taste — mood, pacing, weirdness, hope, stakes, humour, reality, density, warmth, auteur, intensity, and era — with a derived palette drawn from its dominant cinematography.

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The shape of The Blood of Hussain

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What watching it is actually like.

You want a searing political allegory of resistance and martyrdom.

ends devastatingit leaves you shakensteady all the waygrips by minute 22attention 4/5earns its lengthsubtitles: partial
Date nightWith friendsSoloWith parentsKids around
Heads-upgraphic violence

Skip it tonightYou want apolitical entertainment or resolved stories.

DNA · twelve axes

The reading.

Each axis is hand-scored — not derived from votes or genre averages. The marker shows where this film sits; the gradient fill uses the film's own cinematography palette.

Mood · HeavyCosy
Pacing · Slow-burnKinetic
Intensity · GentleExtreme
Weirdness · ConventionalSurreal
Hope · NihilisticRedemptive
Stakes · IntimateEpic
Humour · NoneBroad
Reality · GroundedFantastical
Density · SparseTwisty
Warmth · ColdTender
Auteur · TransparentSignature
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